I am not an atheist. I believe in a higher power, maybe! I am still unsure of that. What i am sure about is the unnecessity of religion. What i assume started out as code of conduct, or rather recommended guidelines for a safer and healthier living, which through the years, been corrupted into a exploitative and nefarious business at best, or a fanatical,violent narcissistic cult at worst.
The selective use of religious ideas, under the rubric of ‘spirituality’, has become key to privatisation and commodification of religion. The sprouting of , god knows how many, spiritual and theistic organisation over the last decade, some under the guise of yoga centres and holistic living, Selling Spirituality is a short, sharp and more appealing and modern package, making it into more of a money making system rather than be analogous to the core concept of any religion. The link between money and religion is a grey area, fraught with conspiracy and scandal. Some of the wealthiest organisations on the planet are religions or religious movements - some ancient, some modern - yet the followers of religion and the countries in which they are practised are often the poorest.
However, the other face of religion dulls the above discussed. the more radical and fanatical face of it, which arises from the narcissism and the egotism of the leaders brainwashing and hypnotising the weak into violent and sociopathic beings. Right from the crusades and the holocaust to the current problem of islamic terrorism religion has been a major factor in propagating violence.
Mostly, all these problems stems from the inability to understand and also the misinterpretation of the rites and rituals. Sometimes, not always , the rituals are based on some fact explained in science, The reason which would have been applicable at that instance of time, thousands of years back. But the reason which has been lost on us, might not make much sense this time and age, and yet we follow it. The fallacy of all this , we refuse to see because its easier.